JBurt
Senior Member
Are the Tacoma's the same as the Tundra's?
OTRE trouble , Castle Nut and Bolt just spin...Can't tighten?
- Thread starter 4RUNNERTMAN
- Start date
Are the Tacoma's the same as the Tundra's?
Glad your on your way to get your rig back on the road. This situation makes another point to only order from Camelback.
Unner
New member
That's good to hear. I'm glad they did that for you. Camelback will always have my business. The Tacoma LBJ's are known to fail as well. Was a news article from Atlanta I believe a few months ago where a cop got killed trying to help a guy get his Tacoma off the highway with a broken LBJ. Just replace your LBJs with OEM Toyota every 100k or so, sooner maybe if you run 35's or something crazy and you shouldn't have any issues.
4RUNNERTMAN
New member
The OTRE for the the LBJ I received is different. Its a female threaded OTRE so it won't work as far as I can tell. The part did not look any beefier however the the stock 4runner LBJ but I have read some owners using the Taco LBJ with Taco OTRE but you will lose some turning radius unless you do some grinding. I thought about going that route but for now this rig is more road then off road so will wait another 100K !!! lol
There is a good write up on here about that.
4RUNNERTMAN
New member
I will second that motion now! Plus free shipping over $150 and that right there will save you $15 to $20 bucks from most other places.
4RUNNERTMAN
New member
I do believe they are different as the Tundra one I am sending back looks just like the new stock ones I received other then the hole on the arm is a different size and that is why the OTRE stud went in to far and would not tighten up. The Tundra OTRE is also female threaded so completely different then ours.
4RUNNERTMAN
New member
I was relieved as well and its hard to find that kind of CS these days but I will be buying from them for all my parts I need. The bottom of this rig is really wet so gotta run down these oil leaks.
Definitely use OEM for suspension and steering and if you have lots of miles check them out regularly to be sure they are still good. LBJ failure is not a good thing and really dangerous....sorry to hear about that officer. Sad...
GHARP57
New member
Okay for future reference I would try getting the parts from your local dealership. If you go in with the part numbers and the prices camelback is offering I am sure someone would want your business. Myself being a counter person at a toyota dealership, I would hate to learn you bought from them because their price was 5% lower. Plus you don't have to pay for shipping and usually parts are in next day depending what time you order them.
that is just my .02 cents though!
that is just my .02 cents though!
JBurt
Senior Member
I would love it if my dealership was only 5% higher than Camelback. It's closer to 40% with no desire to be competitive, plus the one time they gave me the wrong parts they were "special order, no refunds or returns". Too bad you don't live closer. Feels like dealerships are always a crapshoot.
4RUNNERTMAN
New member
I tried that but local dealer wanted $168 for LBJ and Camelback was $88 and I told him that he he said that is about what he pays and the best he could do is $128 so that was a no go! He even told me to buy them online as he could not come close to the prices I gave him. So there ya go...
GHARP57
New member
That's complete and total bs he is giving you. Every dealer ship pays 73.89 for each 3rd Gen ball joint. The fact he doesn't want to earn any money is his loss. It is bulls hit people like him that give people like me a bad name. I wish we would do online stuff to help you guys out but my boss doesn't want to worry about shipping and receiving a bunch of parts. Best thing I can say to anyone else is to try and strike up a conversation with the parts manager or one of the nice parts counter guys. Tell them that hey look 20% profit is better than no profit (20 is what Camelback does). Man that burns me thinking about it.
4RUNNERTMAN
New member
I agree. I used to be in retail and that was always my philosophy. Something is better then nothing and most retail items are easy to restock so why not sell it for a profit even it its a small one. Keeps customers coming back that's for sure! Greed is not good but unfortunately it runs a major part of the business world.
Hey since you are in the business do you know what the official warranty on Toyota OEM parts bought at the dealership or authorized seller by guys like us and installed by us? Thanks
Unner
New member
If it isn't a critical part and just something I'm doing as routine maintenance I just order through camelback. Orders over $150 get free shipping and I always find a way to get it over $150... If I had a local dealer like you I would support them though.
Same markup as my dealership, plus I don't like the people working there. There's a few nice guys in the parts department that I like, but there is also this utterly unpleasant man working there that I can't stand. They won't price match either, I even had the parts manager tell me to order the fuel pump for my Supra from Denso instead of them because of their markup...
One would think they would want any profit, but common sense isn't so common...
GHARP57
New member
Toyota parts have a 1 year warranty. As long as you keep the receipt you are supposed to be able to return it. Now one electrical components they are supposed to be no returns because if you plug it up it can break it and we are not at fault for it breaking. i.e. your wires are messed up. Some dealers will let you return electrical as long as you haven't plugged it in.
JayRolla
New member
For what its worth, if I ask for a price quote online per my local dealer. They will quote me online pricing and make me bring the quote in. I save on shipping so its actually cheaper.
I also just did this with Chrysler for my buddys Jeep. They gave me online pricing when I went to there site and asked for a quote.
I also just did this with Chrysler for my buddys Jeep. They gave me online pricing when I went to there site and asked for a quote.
4RUNNERTMAN
New member
Finally got it all put in and back down on the road again. Steering is very tight and responsive so feels great! Glad I was able to do this myself and hey i got some new tools out of the deal which is always a added benefit. I purchased a electric impact wrench from Harbor Freight that made the job a lot easier in the long run. If anyone needs any insights into how to do this just let me know. I think I experienced just about everything that could have gone wrong.... but that's ok as I learned a lot and appreciate all the help from those that responded. Thanks again!
Next on the list is the bushings on that stabilizer bar...they looked terrible when I was under the truck.
Next on the list is the bushings on that stabilizer bar...they looked terrible when I was under the truck.
How many times I tried to work with my local stealership with high part prices. We got this thing called "matrix pricing" here. Matirx pricing is about 5% over list price for anything. The only luck I got was working with the parts manager at one stealership. Prices wasn't that great (dealer prices plus 10%) but at least he smashed the other Toyota stealership prices around the area and he had the part sitting on the shelf. The parts manager told me he liked that I came in with part numbers.
I used to work in a jobber parts warehouse where we would regularly work with stealerships. I remember hunting down this very hard to find part for one stealership. He told me that the list price of $28 for the part was too low and wonder if $170 would be better...he laughed...and said yup $170 sounds about right. Keep in mind that part cost the stealership less than $10. Crazy
I used to work in a jobber parts warehouse where we would regularly work with stealerships. I remember hunting down this very hard to find part for one stealership. He told me that the list price of $28 for the part was too low and wonder if $170 would be better...he laughed...and said yup $170 sounds about right. Keep in mind that part cost the stealership less than $10. Crazy
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jacknanita55
New member
Do you use Rock Auto for your 4 Runner parts? Pro's / Con's?
ShooterMcGavin
New member
I've heard some horror stories about dealerships and their outrageous pricing, as well as some shoddy work. I gotta add my data point... the Toyota dealership by my house has always been helpful, professional, and even cut me some great deals on prices. When I buy parts and contemplate their prices, they sometimes ask what I can get it for online. When I tell them, they usually respond "that's about right" and then come very close to matching the price, without needing to see a website printout. When I was changing out the front diff fluid, I needed the drain plug washer. The register had just been closed out and I didn't have exact cash. The guy just gave me the washer for free 
If it costs me a little bit extra to buy parts from them, they will have my business. I have used Camelback as well, and I will be a return customer there too.
4RUNNERTMAN, really glad to hear that you solved the problem yourself and got everything put back together. I know how crappy it feels to put a car together, thinking you have all the right parts, and then run into a huge ordeal. Good job! When I did my LBJs, I actually broke one of the bolts that holds the LBJ to the steering knuckle. Annoying, but I got through it
If it costs me a little bit extra to buy parts from them, they will have my business. I have used Camelback as well, and I will be a return customer there too.4RUNNERTMAN, really glad to hear that you solved the problem yourself and got everything put back together. I know how crappy it feels to put a car together, thinking you have all the right parts, and then run into a huge ordeal. Good job! When I did my LBJs, I actually broke one of the bolts that holds the LBJ to the steering knuckle. Annoying, but I got through it
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